NMCC’s big men shine in fifth straight win over Portageville

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — It took a quarter to shake the rust, but New Madrid County Central’s big men went to work once the cobwebs cleared during a 52-43 victory over Portageville on Monday, Dec. 6.

Marvion Cranford led the charge with 18 points, and the Eagles (2-8) made clutch plays late to fend off the Bulldogs (3-7) for a fifth straight win in the cross-county rivalry.

“The guys came out and competed,” said NMCC coach Dontre Jenkins. “We had a lot of time off. There was a lot of practice and a lot of drills. Tonight, we saw the guys come out and put together a good complete-game effort. Our defense especially stepped up for us.”

After a three-week layoff, NMCC came out looking to find a rhythm, while Portageville had been idle for just over a week due to the holiday break.

The game started with both teams feeling each other out, like two boxers circling for the opening round. The Bulldogs’ Antonio Hickenbottom struck first with a steal and layup, but the Eagles responded quickly as Ra'Mond Brooks powered inside to level the score.

Xayvion Bogan took it hard to the rim, but NMCC wasn’t about to let the Poritageville build any momentum, and Brooks hit right back with a gritty finish in the paint to tie it with about three minutes left in the opening quarter. A few moments later, JG Harris stepped up with a clutch 3-pointer, giving the Eagles a 7-4 lead.

“We were just trying to keep the guys focused,” Jenkins said. “We have a lot to work on with a bunch of younger guys. The couple of weeks we have before the season starts isn’t enough time to get everything in, and we had a lot of time over the holiday break to add some new elements. We’ll continue to do that throughout the season.”

The Bulldogs didn’t back down and Jack Bell responded with a smooth pull-up jumper in transition to even the game at 7-7, and a few seconds later, he picked off a steal and converted for a 9-7 lead.

However, it was early in the second quarter when Marvion Cranford began to flex his muscle in the post.

Cranford powered through defenders for a finish that put the Eagles ahead 14-12. Soon after, he took contact and converted the play to extend the lead to 17-14. Right after that, he finished again inside, pushing the lead to 19-14 after a quick takeaway.

Cranford’s combination of positioning and raw strength was on full display, as he carved out space with veteran precision and capitalized on his opportunities in the post.

NMCC continued to feed the ball inside, with Brooks adding a basket in the paint just before the buzzer to widen the lead to 23-16 at halftime

Coming out of the break, the Eagles executed a deliberate, smooth offensive set, working the ball around the perimeter until Jayden Guest-Newsome found himself open for a clean 3-pointer to extend the lead to double digits for the first time.

From there, both teams found more of an offensive flow,  upped their tempo and traded baskets for the remainder of the third quarter. Inside, Portageville’s Eli Wheeler and Huston Partin exchanged scores with Cranford, while on the perimeter, Tyce Palmer and Bogan exchanged 3-pointers, keeping the scoring flowing.

With a deep drive and a nice finish, Jayden Williams gave NMCC a 37-29 advantage heading into the final period.

But Portageville refused to let the game slip away. Bogan came up clutch with a steal and fast-break layup. Seconds later, he drained an outside shot after being left open on an inbounds play, pulling the Bulldogs to within 41-37

When the game was on the line, the Eagles stepped up with the winning plays they needed. Williams broke down the defense with a textbook drive, finding Brooks for a wide-open layup. A clutch takeaway followed, and on the next trip down, Williams again attacked the paint, kicking it to Cranford, who powered through contact to finish strong.

“[Williams] is going to be special,” Jenkins said. “He just has to realize he doesn’t have to do everything. Understanding the game on the varsity level can be difficult for a freshman. He's making the adjustment but sometimes you can see the freshman in him come out. Tonight, he stepped up and made some big plays.”

Those back-to-back plays were a gut punch, and Bulldog's chances of a comeback started to fade but Bogan wasn’t done fighting and made one final push, drilling a 3-pointer to pull Portageville within six points with 1:02 remaining.

Despite the late surge, NMCC answered with composure, as Cranford stepped up to the free throw and calmly sank all four attempts in the final minute. With a team-high 18 points, Cranford capped his most impressive outing of the season, providing the Eagles with the offense stability needed to secure the win.

“[Cranford] came out strong, really showing his senior leadership,” Jenkins said. “He was vocal about wanting the ball and dominated in the paint whenever he got it. I was really impressed with how he finished several offensive rebounds through contact. We just have to stay on him about being consistent because if he comes out and plays like he did tonight, I like our chances for the rest of the season. With that big frame, he has to continue to demand the ball and control the paint every night.”

NMCC's record may not jump off the page, but the Eagles have had their share of challenging matchups. This victory against Portageville was a sign of the team's growth, especially after being tested by some tough competition.

“It’s tough but I remind the team that what we’re competing for is at the end of the season and not at the beginning,” Jenkins said. “We have so many new guys who haven’t competed at the varsity level and it takes a while to gel. But we saw a lot of positives tonight and took a step in the right direction.”

Brooks (11) and Guest-Newsome (10) were the Eagles’ other key contributors to the victory, while Bogan finished as the game’s leading scorer with 21 points. However, the Bulldogs struggled to get additional scoring, with no other player reaching more than four points.

NMCC will face Notre Dame (6-5) at home on Thursday, Jan. 9, while Portageville will travel to Scott County Central (3-6).

__NMCC 52, PORTAGEVILLE 43__

NMCC 8 15 14 15 — 52

P’Ville 9 7 13 14 — 43

NMCC (52) — Marvion Cranford 18, Ra’Mond Brooks 11, Jaden Guest-Newsome 10, Jayden Williams 5, Tyce Palmer 3, JG Harris 3, Ryleigh Hardin 2. FG: 19. FT: 11-17. F: 11. (3-pointers: Harris 1, Guest-Newsome 1, Palmer 1. Fouled out: None.)

Portageville (43) — Xayvion Bogan 21, Antonio HIckenbottom 4, Huston Partin 4, Jack Bell 4, Eli Wheeler 3, Jayquan Bogan 3, Mason Babb 1. FG: 16. FT: 4-13. F: 16. (3-pointers: X. Bogan 3, J. Bogan 1. Fouled out: None.)